Former Open Fighter Tryout winner Jason Hicks will continue on his bid to earn a future title fight, by taking on recently signed XFC Lightweight Kevin Forant at December's XFC 21: Night of Champions II event. The night's line-up will also feature the first Lightweight Championship fight since 2010, between top contenders Eric Reynolds and Nick Newell.

Hicks made his debut with the XFC in 2010, following a successful showing at that year's Open Fighter Tryout. He quickly put his opponent away to earn a multi-fight contract and hasn't looked back since. Now at 5-0 and a perfect 2-0 inside the XFC cage, "The Ronin" could be just a fight or two away from challenging the winner of the XFC 21 main event. To get there, he'll have to make his way through Kevin "The Master of Cool" Forant, an upcoming Lightweight from North Carolina.

Forant has taken an interesting path to his current position in MMA. He began fighting in 2009 as an amateur in the Carolina region. Finding loads of success through 2011, he decided it was time to turn pro. At that point, he had racked up 10 wins and three amateur titles. That success has continued into his pro career with 4 straight wins including a win at XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown earlier this year.

The match-up between Forant and Hicks will feature a "rough around the edges" fighter in Forant, and a well-polished, very technical fighter in Hicks. Hicks is very established with his Muay Thai, and has proven his ability to work his jiu-jitsu for submissions. Forant is the more athletic fighter, and will have a slight size advantage going into the bout, also bringing 8 straight wins of momentum and confidence into the bout.

The XFC Lightweight division has been heating up, and with Reynolds and Newell prepared to determine the top position. All fighters are looking to establish their position and work towards a fight for the gold. With two wins each in the XFC, a third win would put either Hicks or Forant on par with other Lightweights such as Scott Holtzman as the leading contenders in the division. To see who one of the first challengers for the newly crowned champion could be, watch XFC 21: Night of Champions II.

XFC 21 is presented by ICRealTime Security Solutions & Throatpunch Ind. and airs live from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium on December 7, LIVE on AXStv. For more information on the event or to purchase tickets to the biggest event in XFC history, go to www.OfficialXFC.com. Follow the promotion for daily updates on Facebook and Twitter '@OfficialXFC'.